Young and trend-conscious
Idealistic, optimistic, and flexible
Hard workers; highly entrepreneurial
Socially responsible; particularly concerned about the environment
Ethnically diverse
Very comfortable with technology; like to multi-task
Have a hunger for feedback and rewards
Spiritually traditional
This is not a recruitment advert for a job. It’s a list of the characteristics of Generation Y people. That’s those people born since 1978. Or to put it another way, possibly the current majority of your front line service delivery staff.
I have spent a lot of time recently talking with colleagues about communications and effective customer segmentation and in particular; the effective segmentation of the internal audience.
What is very clear is that, in order to deliver effective outcomes in an increasingly complex environment, the service needs to become far more sophisticated in communicating with and understanding our internal audience. In recognising the importance of ensuring that our staff are active brand ambassadors.
So why is Generation Y important and what are the key issues that drive them?
Well, Gen Y is important because most of your front line staff are Gen Y’ers and their organisational, societal and leadership expectations are very different from their predecessors, the Gen X and Baby Boomers. Or, to put it another way, the expectations of the front line are very different from the experiences and expectations of the organisations current and emerging leaders.
Generation Y’ers have high expectations of self: They aim to work faster and better than other workers. They have high expectations of employers: They want fair and direct managers who are highly engaged in their professional development. They seek out creative challenges and view colleagues as vast resources from whom to gain knowledge. They are goal-oriented: They want small goals with tight deadlines so they can build up ownership of tasks.
Gen Y’ers have not only grown up with the internet, most of them live their lives on the Internet. In contrast to earlier TV-watching generations, they do not use the Internet merely to absorb information passively. They communicate via it, through texts, blogs, and social media . Contrast this to the attitude (and competence) of many of our middle and senior managers for whom Web 2.0 is at best a mystery beyond interest or comprehension.
For some observers Gen Y’s familiarity with the interconnected world suggests that its members will respond to management styles that encourage creativity and initiative, and that they will be comfortable working in teams.
I have recently been looking at some work that has been done into the implications of Gen Y for the US military.
A report issued by the vice chief of staff of the U.S. Army observed that “Senior officers think they understand the world of lieutenants and captains, but many junior officers and others are convinced that they do not.” As an example of these differences, the report cited senior officers’ “careerism” and dogged loyalty to the military as opposed to junior officers’ preference for a better work–life balance. To the typical junior officer, it noted, “being an Army officer is a noble profession…not an all-consuming source of self-identity.” This characteristic has clear implications for the police service.
Equally germane is the observation by an American management lecturer that "Generation Y is much less likely to respond to the traditional command-and-control type of management still popular in much of today's workforce. They've grown up questioning their parents, and now they're questioning their employers. They don't know how to shut up, which is great, but that's aggravating to the 50-year-old manager who says, 'Do it and do it now.' " This presents clear challenges to the existing militaristic, hierarchical police rank and command structure.
To command-and-control organisations knowledge is power and, therefore, something to be protected. To Gen Y, however, knowledge is something altogether different; it belongs to everyone and creates a basis for building new relationships and fostering dialogue. Gen Y’ers use blogs, instant-messaging, e-mails, and wikis to share information with those whom they may never meet — and also with people across the hall or down the corridor. Their spirit of openness is accompanied by a casual attitude toward privacy and secrecy; they have grown up seeing the thoughts, reactions, and even indiscretions of their friends and peers posted on a permanent, universally accessible global record.
If you’re looking for evidence of the generational clash, look no further than the current facebook issues that most professional standards departments are currently involved in.
The Generation Y issues (leadership, performance, retention, communication etc) are as yet largely unexplored within the service. That there are issues is without doubt.
Now there's an interesting thing. The government has launched a competition to find innovative ways of using its criminal justice, health and education data. 
OK. It's finally happening. I've put it off long enough. It's time for this website to get a make over and redesign.
